Battle of Yorktown
In the early fall of 1781, British Lord Cornwallis had realized that he couldn’t control Virginia for much longer, so he pulled all of his troops out and marched them to Yorktown. When the Colonists and the French found out about this, George Washington marched his troops to Yorktown and French Admiral De Grasse sailed his ships up the York River to block a British escape by sea. Admiral De Grasse and his ships kept the British Navy from unloading troops and artillery in Yorktown and aiding Lord Cornwallis against George Washington, Count Rochambeau, Marquis de Lafayette, and their combined Colonial and French army, while Admiral de Grasse was himself unloading more French troops and artillery from his ships, one ship at a time. It was Admiral De Grasse’s holding off the British Navy that allowed George Washington, Count Rochambeau, Marquis de Lafayette, and their armies to trap Lord Cornwallis and his troops in Yorktown with no hope of resupply or escape. Then it was just a matter of time until Lord Cornwallis had to surrender. Lord Cornwallis however, couldn't bear the shame of surrendering to Washington, so he sent his second in command to surrender. Washington would not accept the surrender unless Cornwallis himself surrendered, so he sent his second-in-command to accept the surrender.
Battle of Yorktown video:http://www.tubechop.com/watch/1684670